1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for extracting scenery depth information.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
The extraction of depth information for different objects in a view is an important issue in fields of stereo display, distance measurement systems and systems for displaying depth profile. Conventional extraction methods and apparatus can be divided into two categories: active and passive. In passive systems, dual-lens, multi-lens or multi-aperture imaging systems based on the “parallax” concept are utilized. However, these systems require several imaging lenses or several imaging sensors to obtain the information of stereo images. In the active systems, additional signal sources (for example, light sources) are utilized to direct signals toward different objects. The distances of the different objects are obtained in accordance with the time required for signal propagation. Alternatively, the objects can be illuminated with a particular distribution pattern and the distances between objects can then be estimated in accordance with the degree of pattern deformation on the surface of the objects.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,695 discloses that by using a specially designed optical element, each point on objects in the object plane can produce four corresponding points in the image plane. The distances between objects can be obtained according to variations of distances between the 4 corresponding points.